What are you devoting yourself to with your morning routine?
Dear Kindred Spirit,
In the autumn of 2024 I wrote a post about how the changing season impacted my morning routine. Basically, it completely fell apart. Since we’re in a seasonal midpoint now, I thought it would be a great time to reshare this post. One way to create more joy in your life is to go with the flow of the seasons. Here’s how that worked for me in November 2024.
A few weeks ago, when it was still warm out, I subscribed to an online yoga platform. I decided to do a video each morning, and at first it was great. My morning yoga routined flowed naturally.
But then autumn crept in, and now there is no way I’m going to get out of bed to do yoga, when I could snuggle up in the blankets and read instead.
However, when I skip my morning stretches, I end up with hip, back, and neck pain. I have mild scoliosis—so, if I don’t stretch in the mornings everything jams up.
As you all know, I’m a true perfectionist. When I started reading instead of doing yoga, I definitely felt that Morning Routine Guilt.
But after a couple days, instead of feeling guilty, I got curious. When it comes to a morning routine, or any kind of self care, I realized I’d rather ask what I’m devoting myself to instead of what is the “correct” thing to do.
Here’s what I know. In the mornings, I want to devote myself to softening and centering. To helping my mind, body, and soul get into the flow of the day. And getting in the flow means embracing who I am today, not trying to be who I was a few weeks ago.
When it was summer, I could easily get of bed and do a half hour intensive yoga routine. But now that it’s autumn, I need a slower wake up. I need to be gentle with myself, and when I finally roll out of bed, to do whatever simple stretches feel good in the moment.
Even though my summer flow was bright eyed and bushy tailed, it’s time to change. Autumn is calling me into gentleness. It’s calling me to be devoted to who I am today, not who I used to be.
When it comes to caring for your body, mind, and soul—what are you devoting yourself to? It might be time to let go of who you were a few weeks ago, so you can take the best care of who you are today.
—Emma
Hi, I’m Emma Basu. I’m a writer, tarot card reader, and book lover. My soul’s work is to help you find clarity amongst the chaos, meaning in the mundane, and purpose in your life’s winding journey.
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